Seoul, Day 2

-Katya had a thesis to finish, and Luis had a lecture/workshop to attend, so on his way he dropped me at Gyeongbokgung Palace, where I spent most of my day. I arrived just in time for one of the changing of the guards "ceremonies", so I stood behind the line and watched before getting my ticket and going inside. While there'll never be a palace more beautiful than the Grand Palace in Bangkok (in my opinion), I did appreciate the picturesque landscapes, and the mountains in the background, not to mention the quiet peacefulness of the area as opposed to the chaotic surroundings of Bangkok.

I'm year of the Rabbit :D

-Visited the Folk Museum at the palace, and watched a song-and-dance show thing for a bit, during which an older Korean hurried in (late) and sat next to me and grabbed the program out of my lap to fan herself.

-I followed Sejong-daero street down to the City Hall metro station and rode it to Hoegi to meet up with Luis at 5:30.

Market

-We met Katya for dinner at ChinaFactory, and had some really delicious Chinese food! At least the chopsticks weren't metal this time.

 

 

 

Using my chopsticks like a pro!

My Korean pose hahaha "If I stretch my neck, I look taller"

Seoul, South Korea - Day 1

-Luis picked me up at the airport at 7am, and we enjoyed a bit of catching up on the drive back to his place. Dropped my bags there, met his lovely wife, Katya, and the 3 of us headed out into Seoul. They took me to a Korean Folk Village for exploring a museum, ice cream, and a bit of history.

- I managed to wander off at one point, and before finding each other again I stopped to watch some Korean Folk dancing.

  

-We had some delicious Korean BBQ for dinner, and although I struggled with the thin metal chopsticks, I managed to efficiently feed myself.

Cooking With Poo

My last morning in Bangkok I was up early to meet with Natalie to head out for our Thai cooking class! Cooking with Poo (her Thai nickname is Chompoo, which means rose apple, but "poo" sounds funnier for a cooking class, so that's what stuck) is a cooking class run by Khun Poo in the Klong Toei slum community, and all proceeds go to help those in the community improve their quality of life. cookingwithpoo.com

Walkin' through the market first

Fried bugs

Pig heads

Making our first dish, Tom yum gai (chicken soup)

Finished soup!

Cooking our second dish - gai ga team (stir-fried chicken with garlic)

Finished chicken! SO good!

Poo explaining our last dish

Cooking it (it was ground duck, but I didn't eat this one, so I made it extra spicy to give to Pookie, who told me it was delicious)

Finished!

Getting the desserts ready

My yummy dish of mango and sticky rice! MMMMMM!!!

With Poo and her cookbook :D

A Final Goodbye Dinner

A few (more) friends of mine wanted to have dinner with me my final night in Bangkok, so they took me to Secret Garden, a great Thai restaurant just across from Convent Rd on Sathorn.

Dinner with Lena, (me), Ora, Richard, and Natalie

Our dessert was ordered when Annika arrived :)

And, in true Thai fashion, we went to karaoke afterwards. :D

That would be...6 in the taxi..with Richard in front (taking the picture)

Lena's "edited" edition of our picture, and Glaister (my Jamaican friend) joined us later on

I'll See You Again, Kirk

Said goodbye, turned around

And you were gone, gone, gone

Faded into the setting sun,

Slipped away

But I won’t cry

Cause I know I’ll never be lonely

For you are the stars to me,

You are the light I follow

I’ll See you again, oh

This is not where it ends

I will carry you with me, oh

Till I see you again

I can hear those echoes in the wind at night

Calling me back in time

Back to you

In a place far away

Where the water meets the sky

The thought of it makes me smile

You are my tomorrow

I’ll See you again, oh

This is not where it ends

I will carry you with me, oh

Till I see you again

Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking

But I stay strong and I hold on cause I know

I’ll see you again, oh

This is not where it ends

I will carry you with me, yeah yeah

I’ll See you again, oh

This is not where it ends

I will carry you with me, oh

Till I see you again

Till I see you again

Till I see you again..

Said goodbye turned around

And you were gone...gone...gone.

 

 

See You Again by Carrie Underwood